The invention relates to an inlay for drives for optical storage mediums for precentering optical storage mediums with special formats on loading into the drive, according to the earlier part of the independent patent claim.
From DE 297 08 978 (U1) there is known an inlay for a CD drive for the precentering of circular CDs with a diameter between the standard size and the mini-CD. This inlay is an annular disk. The outer diameter corresponds to a normal CD. The inner diameter is larger than the diameter of a mini-CD. This inlay is loaded into the drive tray like a usual CD. It bears with its outer peripheral edge on the centering shoulder for a normal CD. Its edge formed by the inner diameter then forms a new special centering shoulder for a CD with a diameter between the normal and mini CD. Evidently also CDs with special formats may be loaded as long as they come to bear with at least three peripheral points on the new special centering shoulder. For all other intermediate formats this inlay may not be used. If again a usual CD is to be loaded then the inlay must firstly be removed from the drive. A precentering on loading a CD into a drive is in any case necessary. If a CD is simply placed on the rest surface in the drive tray, then it is not sure that the drive pin of the drive on closing the drive tray may at all be moved into the central drive opening of the CD. Mostly the CD is displaced so much on closing the tray that the drive is even jammed.
Today however there are increasingly different special formats on the market. A few of these are already widely commonplace today. This is particularly the case with the calling card CD. Particularly popular with the general public are also CDs with a heart shape.
It is the object of the invention to provide an inlay which permits various of these special formats of CD or also of DVD to be loaded and precentered into a drive.
This object is achieved by the invention specified in the patent claims.
An advantage of the invention is that various special formats of all types of optical storage mediums such as CD, DVD, magneto-optic disk, etc., by way of the inlay without further changes at the drive may be perfectly and precisely loaded and on closing, the drive remain cleanly and exactly precentered.
A further advantage of the invention lies in the fact that although the inlay may again be removed it does not need to be since it is designed such that optical storage mediums with a standard diameter may also be used when the inlay remains in the drive.